Lionel Messi scores twice as Nashville SC falls to Inter Miami

Inter Miami beats Nashville SC 3-1

Lionel Messi scored twice to increase his Major League Soccer-leading total to seven and also had an assist to lead Inter Miami over Nashville SC 3-1 on Saturday night.

Messi had his second two-goal game in MLS after scoring two against Orlando on March 2. He has a goal or assist in each of the six league matches he's played, missing four because of injury.

Sergio Busquets scored his first goal with Miami since joining former Barcelona teammate Messi last summer. Luis Surez, another ex-Barcelona teammate, assisted on Messi's first goal.

"Very happy that the goal helped the team win the match," Busquets said in Spanish. «What matters is the team and the victory. Today, I managed to score but the ultimate accomplishments are the positive results for our team.»

Miami (5-2-3, 21 points) is unbeaten in five matches against Nashville since Messi's arrival. Miami also remained in first place in the Eastern Conference.

«We became very familiar with their style of play and that helped us today,» Miami defender Toms Avils said.

For the second consecutive week, Miami allowed a goal in the opening minutes when an own goal by Miami defender Franco Neri put Nashville ahead. Neri deflected Daniel Lovitz's corner kick into the Miami net in the second minute.

That was the only goal for Nashville (1-6-1, 4).

Miami erased the early deficit with goals from Messi and Busquets in the 11th and 39th minutes.

Nashville goalkeeper Elliot Panicco deflected Messi's 12-yard shot to an open Surez, who immediately tapped it to Messi. With Panicco out of position, Messi converted a sliding shot inside the 6-yard box for the equalizer.

«We didn't play good football during the first 10 minutes but that changed after Leo's goal,»